Project Background

National Slate Museum opened in 1972 following the closure of Dinorwig Slate Quarry in the Summer of 1969.

The museum was developed in the late 1990s with Heritage Lottery Funding.

In 2017, a report commissioned by the Welsh Government, identified the need for major investment in the Museum.

The recent UNESCO World Heritage Inscription awarded to the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales in 2021 further strengthened the case for redevelopment.

In January 2023, Gwynedd Council received Levelling Up Funding from the UK Government, for the project Llewyrch o’r Llechi: Prosperity from our Industrial Past’, Llewyrch o'r Llechi, Levelling Up Fund This provides an unique opportunity to develop areas within the World Heritage Site and will support National Slate Museum to conserve and renovate the Grade 1 listed buildings and become a designated hub for the interpretation of the slate landscape of Northwest Wales.

In April 2024, the Museum received grant development funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the project.

Other funding is also being sought for the project.

There is a tight deadline for delivery of the redevelopment, so the museum will close temporarily in November 2024 for work to be carried out safely.

In 2025 some of the Museum’s key offer will be re-locating to other areas in the slate landscape areas- so please keep an eye out for us!

We aim to re-open the museum in 2026